Resurrection Sunday

Introduction

Well, good morning…happy Resurrection Day!

You know what makes this day so special? The tomb’s still empty, amen? Even after 2,000 years…there isn’t a BODY there. They might have nailed Jesus to a cross…they might have hung Him there to die…but praise, Jesus, that’s not the end of the story. The tomb, it’s empty. And we come together this morning because of that truth. All of Christianity, it hangs on that one truth. It’s the climax of God’s purposed plan in man’s redemption. The resurrection of Jesus…it proved that His death did in fact pay for the wages of our sin…it proved He did have victory over death…it proved that eternal life, it is a real reality for us. The resurrection of Christ, it’s the cornerstone of our faith. Everything about who we are…everything about what we have in Him…everything we hope in…it hinges on this reality. There’s no Christianity if there’s no resurrection. All of Scripture, it points to the resurrection of Jesus…from cover to cover, that’s always been the message…it’s a message about hope…a message that death isn’t the end for those who belong to God…death, it has no sting. For the believer, death, it’s just a transition that leads to an eternity with God.

And listen, understanding the importance of Easter and the the importance of the resurrection, it’s critical for us as believers…it’s important because without the resurrection, we have nothing.

That’s why Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:

1 Corinthians 15:12–20 (ESV)

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Guys, the resurrection of Jesus, it’s the single greatest event in the history of the world…it’s so foundational to our faith that if you were to deny it, it’s impossible for you to called His. Without the resurrection, there is no Christian faith, there’s no salvation, there’s no hope. That’s why Jesus Himself said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”

And so, as we gather together on this Resurrection Sunday…if you have your Bibles and I hope that you do…open up ‘em up with me to Matthew chapter 28…Matthew 28. We’re gonna be looking at the first ten verses here…looking at this story about the empty tomb. And so, if you’re there with me, let’s stand together as we read starting in verse 1. It says this:

Matthew 28:1–10 (ESV)

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Thank you, you can be seated.

And so, if the resurrection’s so critical to our faith, the real question for us then is…how does it affect us? How does it motivate us? How does it drive us today?

And so, if you’re ready…let’s dive into the text.

1.) Does the Resurrection Affect You?

Question number one…does the resurrection affect you?

Look at the first parts of this passage with me again. There’s four things going on here…the earth’s effected…the angel of the Lord, he’s effected…the Roman guards, they’re affected by the resurrection of Jesus…and of course, the two Mary’s, they’re effected, right?

And so, verse 1…Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (which if you’re using context here, she’s the mother of James and Joseph…we see that in Matthew 27:56)…these women, they’re going to the tomb to prepare the body of Jesus…because remember, they couldn’t do anything on Saturday because in the Jewish culture that was their Sabbath…and so they wake up early Sunday morning and they go straight to the tomb to do this.

And listen, when they get there…that’s when Jesus is raised from the dead. Verse 2, it says, “And behold (meaning it happened right then), there was a great earthquake...” Listen, when Jesus raised from the dead…everything was effected. First, it was the earth. At the resurrection of Jesus…the One through whom everything was created…the earth shook and it trembled violently. You remember that word we looked at last week to describe the uproar among the people in Jerusalem as Jesus rode into town on a donkey? Well, now the earth itself was in an uproar at the raising of Jesus. Even the earth couldn’t remain still. The ground quaked…the rocks erupted…the earth cracked. All of nature was aroused. The earth trembled in sorrow at the crucifixion, but it leaped for joy at the resurrection. This earthquake…it’s attesting to the cosmic significance of this event.

Then it says, “an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.”

Listen, when I was kid, I used to wake up every morning and watch those super hero cartoons, right? And listen, when I first read this…that’s kind of the picture I get with this angel. He comes down from heaven…shafts of lighting blazed off this guy…his clothes, they were shimmering like newly-fallen snow (I’ve become an expert in snow. Listen, this wouldn’t of made much sense to me until I moved up here). But check this out…this guy, singlehandedly rolls away the stone that was meant to keep Jesus’s body entombed. It was meant to make sure no one could steal His body…that’s why the guard’s are present. He moves it aside like nobody’s business…he’s like a super hero, right? But listen, he moves the stone not to let Jesus out....No, Jesus was already out on His own…he moved the stone to let the women in. And then he sat on top the rock to show off God’s work…Amen?

Listen, has God ever moved in your life where it was so evident to that you had to just gotta kind strut around like, “Yea…Look at my God!” That’s what this angel’s doing, “Look at my God! You thought you killed Him…but look who’s laughing now!…My God’s mighty…My God’s awesome!”

And then of course you got the guards who are effected by the resurrection as well. It says, “And for fear of him [or for fear of the angel] the guards trembled and became like dead men.”

These guys, they’re standing guard outside the tomb…making sure no one comes and robs Jesus’s body…and all of sudden this angel, he burst out of the sky like lighting. It says they were standing there like dead corpses. I mean if it were me, I probably would’ve pooped myself, right? It says they shook…they shook in their sandals at the sight of this angel. And what’s funny is that they’re the one’s that were tasked with watching over the dead…but instead they became as dead men themselves. I love how God works sometimes, it’s ironic.

But then, we have these women. The story continues, “5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

And then verse 8, “So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy...”

And so, at the resurrection, the women were effected as well. They came to anoint the body of Jesus with spices…to give him an appropriate embalming…they get there…they see this angel…the stone rolled away…the physical empty tomb…and it says they’re filled with wonder and joy. That word for fear there it’s a great sense of wonder. It’s a sense of awe and amazement. They’re in wonder and feel this sense of joy as the good news of the resurrection becomes their message to share.

Listen, everyone and everything present that day at the resurrection, they felt the effect of that event. I mean it was the greatest event to have ever occurred....

And so, listen…what’s this mean for us?

Listen, Easter…it’s the most attended church day of the year…there’s something special about it…and rightly so…people, unbelievers and believers alike, they see the resurrection as something special, worthy of their time and energy…but when you hear about Jesus being raised from the dead…the pinnacle of the Christian faith…what kind of effect does it have on you? Do you hear this story…one of the most supported stories in the history of our world, so much evidence…both in the Bible and outside of it…do you hear it…do you walk away effected by it?

Knowing that Jesus did in fact raise from the dead, as Christians, it reminds us that our hope, its in that same resurrection…because just like Jesus, we’ll experience a very physical resurrection of our own. Or even as an unbeliever, knowing that the resurrection of Jesus happened, it should give you the reality that death and suffering it’s real…and that’s what awaits you if you remain separated from Christ today. Our sin, because we’re all fallen, it dooms us to an eternal hell. But the resurrection reminds us of our need for a Savior…and it points us to the only true God.

How does the resurrection effect you? Because just like everything else in this story, whether it’s positive or negative…the resurrection of Jesus, it effects you in some way…one way or another!

2.) Does the Resurrection Motivate You?

Question number two…does the resurrection motivate you?

And so, praying that the resurrection points you to Jesus and His saving work…what does it motivate you to do?

Look at verse 7 and 8 with me again. The angel said, “7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

And then the women responded, “8 So they departed quickly from the tomb...”

Listen, when these ladies get to the tomb…and when they see the angel and the fact that Jesus’s body isn’t there…it’s a whole new world for them. It’s a world where death doesn’t have the last word…it’s a world where injustice and suffering are made right and vindicated because of the intrusion of a powerful God.

Listen, these women, they saw Jesus tortured…they saw His body beaten and mangled. They saw Jesus carry the cross through Jerusalem and bring it to a hill called Cavalry. They witnessed as Jesus’s wrists and ankles were nailed to that cross. And guys, they were there when Jesus took His final breath on the cross. They saw Him die. It was real, it impacted them. They were there when the Roman soldier stabbed Jesus in the side to make sure He was dead. They watched as they removed His body from the cross. There was no question whether or not Jesus was dead. You understand? They saw it…they witnessed it.

And so, this news of the empty tomb…it changed everything. It gave meaning to everything Jesus said and taught. It meant eternity was real…it meant our sins could really be forgiven…it meant that we had the ability to be made new, just like Jesus said.

The empty tomb meant everything to these women.

And look at what the text says they did at the news of Jesus’s resurrection…verse 8, “So they departed quickly...”

At the greatest newest ever received, it motivated them to go and share that news. And listen, that was the very first thing they could think to do. They heard about the gospel…they experienced the resurrection of Jesus…and it caused them to wanna obey the command to “go and tell the disciples.” It says they went quickly. They didn’t hesitate…they didn’t stop and ask questions…they just went and did what they knew would honor Christ.

Listen, if you’re here this morning…you’ve placed your trust and faith in Jesus Christ…you’ve been made new…I want you to see this…God could’ve sent the angel directly to the disciples Himself…Jesus could’ve just appeared to them and revealed Himself to ‘em…but instead, the angel shared the good news of Jesus with these two women and gave them a command to go and tell the disciples.

Guys, since the resurrection of Jesus, our responsibility as believers, it’s always been to share the message hope and salvation to the hurting. It’s our job to share the resurrection with those that don’t belong to Him. In fact, if we never do…then those around us will never know…and that’s the most hateful thing we could possibly do to those God’s placed around us. If we really wish to see a community impacted by the kingdom of God, it’s gonna start with us being obedient to the command to ‘Go’!

And here’s the deal, if we’ve been positively effected by the resurrection and the good news of Jesus…then it’ll motivate us to share that with others…if we lack that motivation, we’ve not truly experienced the resurrection of Christ. You understand? Because when we’ve truly experienced the resurrection of Christ and understand it’s significance, it changes everything for us.

But listen, if you’re here today and you’ve not turned to Jesus…the realization of the resurrection, the belief in Jesus raising from the dead…turning to Jesus…through the Spirit of God, it has the ability to change everything about who you are if you’d just give your heart to Him. That’s what He cares about. The truth about the resurrection has the ability to alter your life forever and motivate you to things that truly bring you joy and satisfaction…just like we see here with the two Mary’s. The resurrection brought them real, lasting joy.

3. Does the Resurrection Drive You?

Which leads us into our final question…does the resurrection drive you? Or better yet, what does it drive you to?

Look at verse 9 with me again. It says, “9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.”

Listen, when they heard about the resurrection, they left the tomb as quick as they could…that news, it motivated them to do what they were told to do…but listen, I believe it also motivated them to go and see for themselves if it was really true. That’s just human nature, right? We wanna see for ourselves. And listen, when they got there…who did they find? Jesus! He was there…in the flesh.

And it says…at the moment they realized for themselves that the resurrection was in fact true…they fell at the feet of Jesus and they worshipped Him!

Listen guys, for us…it’s no different. When we find out for ourselves that everything the Bible teaches is true…when the Spirit of God gives us that understanding and when we feel Him moving in our hearts in a very real way…when we experience the resurrection for ourselves…it drives us to worship Him, right? Because it’s in that moment we realize who we are and who He is…we realize we are sinful and He is righteous…and yet we see for the very first time that separated state, it didn’t stop God from doing everything in His power to bring us back to Himself. That’s what the birth and the life and the death of Jesus was all about. That’s what the resurrection was all about. And even today, God’s still revealing Himself to us in a very real way…we’re just like these women, we want that validation for ourselves, right? And God gives that to us…maybe even now you feel that odd feeling in your heart, telling you to do something. Listen, when you give into that…when you finally believe in Jesus and His resurrection…when you finally let go and repent from your sins…when you turn to Him…it’ll drive you to worship Him because you realize exactly who He is in that moment and that realization, it changes everything for you.

Listen, Easter’s the most attended church day of the year because believers and non-believers alike, they recognize there’s something very special about this day. And even at the notion of the resurrection, it drives us to worship. Imagine, experiencing it firsthand!…For some of us, we have…we’ve felt the power of God in us…listen, what has it driven you to do? How has it changed you? How does it continue to change you?

But listen, as these women worshipped Him…I love how this passage ends…Look at verse 10, “10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Guys, this is the heart of Jesus…here’s these women. I picture them on their faces, worshipping their risen Savior. Bowing down, giving Him the honor any earthly king would’ve expected…and He tells them to get up and go tell His brothers to meet Him in Galilee…If you know the story, He’d find the disciples going back to what they knew…they were all out fishing…Jesus fixes some breakfast for them, right?

Listen, here’s what Jesus is showing us here…true worship, it’s walking in relation with Him…that’s what He wants. We wants our hearts. He’s not some egotistical God. Everything He did…everything He endured…everything He went through was because He desires us…He desires to be with us. True worship…as Jesus said in the gospel accounts…it’s following Him…He says, “If you love Me, obey my commandments.” He wants you to walk alongside Him. He wants you to trust that He knows what’s best for your life.

I mean, hasn’t that been what we’ve been looking at in the Genesis accounts. He created us…of course He knows what’s best for us. But listen, that’s what the resurrection was all about, it’s reminding us that our flesh…our opinions…what we want…it’s leading us down a path of destruction…and only God truly knows what’s good for us.

The resurrection, it’s a reminder that only God is truly good for us. Only God can give us a life of joy and satisfaction…Only God can fill us.

And so, as the Bible says time and time again…repent and believe!

Closing

Every head bowed and every eye closed.

Listen, as you think about the resurrection…would you just search your heart. Maybe you’ve heard the gospel over and over but you realize you’ve never placed your trust and faith in Jesus. Guys, could I challenge you this morning? Let today be that day. Let today be the day that Jesus changes everything for you!

Listen, just this morning…you got a chance to see firsthand how Jesus is changing lives. He can absolutely do the same thing for you. But you have to repent and believe. You have to turn from yourself…you have to recognize that on your own, you’re sinful…you’re separated from God…it’s understanding that because of your sin, you deserve punishment, which you will receive if something doesn’t change. It’s that realization that drives you to turn to Him.

But then it’s believing what He said and taught in the New Testament. It’s believing that Jesus is the Son of God…that He did come and live a perfect and sinless life…that He did go to a cross, where He was beaten and tortured…it’s believing that He did die there, carrying the weight of our sins and our punishment…it’s believing that He did rise on a day just like this almost 2,000 years ago. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He alone has the power to save you…to make you new…to give you new life. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…no man comes to the Father except through Me.” Salvation can only come through Jesus…and so, repent…believe! Guys, don’t wait until it’s too late…don’t wait until you can’t make that decision any longer.

Listen, maybe even now you feel the Spirit of God drawing you. He’s tugging at your heart. He wants you to come to Him. Maybe you can feel the real weight of your sins…you feel the guilt…you feel the pain…you’re hurting…you’re broken…you feel like no one else understands the life you’ve lived, what you’ve gone through…but even now, He’s showing you that He does…He knows and He’s saying, “Come to Me.”

Listen, if that’s you this morning…would you just stand up now…would you come down to the front…talk to me…tell me, “Pastor Steven, I need Jesus…I need Him to change me…I need Him to restore Me. I recognize who He is.” Guys, would you come? I’m gonna be down front…no one’s looking around. I know it’s scary…but I promise, it’s the greatest decision you’ll ever make and it’s a decision that we all wanna celebrate with you. Would you come now? This is your time. You come!